


From Apocrypha

by Potato_Being



Series: Awakening [6]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Daedra, Hermaeus Mora - Freeform, Miraak - Freeform, Vampire!DB, apocrypha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 14:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3492341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potato_Being/pseuds/Potato_Being
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meren opens a Black Book one last time, and Teldryn fears he won't return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Apocrypha

The Black Book was in his hands. The same one that Storn Crag-Strider had opened. The same one Hermaeus Mora used to kill the man. The same book they had been trying to find for months. And they found it. And so, tired, hungry, and covered in snow, sweat and ash, the Dragonborn and his follower had returned to the Skaal village in the dark, Frea begging her father to back out, to find an alternative. His corpse lay on the ground, next to his daughter, who knelt with her village to mourn him. Meren's hands shook as he opened the tome.

"I don't know if I'll win." He whispered. Teldryn sat next to him in the snow, partially sheltered by the overhang of the longhouse roof.

"You will. And I'll be here to guard your body. You can count on that."

"All right."

"Just… don't let Hermaeus Mora keep you. I don't…" He trailed off quickly, unsure of what he could say.

"He won't. I'm not his champion. I'll be back soon, all right?" Meren managed a weak smile as he opened the book. The smile was replaced by disgust and discomfort as the same tentacles that killed Storn wrapped themselves around the Altmer.

 

\--

 

Hours passed. Teldryn didn't leave. He kept his eyes on Meren, waiting for him to return. As the sun rose slowly, and he hadn't woken up, nervousness began to well in Teldryn's stomach. Frea sat near them, also watching the high elf.

 _If he doesn't wake up, what will you do?_ The questions lingered, and his stomach twisted. Even if this 'Dragonborn' was a high elf with a problematic bloodlust, Teldryn still cared about him, in ways that toed the line between friendship and…

He thought of something else quickly, trying to distract his racing mind. It didn't really work, as his memory of the dragon ended up with Meren looking at him with eyes that weren't his own, with that undercurrent of rage and the need to destroy. His gut tightened. As he began trying to think of how he could possibly distract himself, Meren sat up from his slumped position, slamming the book shut. His eyes were wide, and for a brief moment, Teldryn swore the feral gaze was in there. Their eyes met, and they had the same gentle stare that they always were.

"Is Miraak dead?" Teldryn asked nervously.

"Yes." Was the reply, spoken shakily and quietly.

"Then it is done. Miraak will no longer be able to control Solstheim. Thank you, Dragonborn." Frea said.

"Thank you, Frea. For your help." Meren told her. She simply nodded to him and stood, offering a hand, which he accepted.

 

\--

 

The two sat across from each other at the small table in Severin Manor.

"What exactly happened in Apocrypha?" Teldryn asked.

"I fought Miraak. He had… dragons that he called down. He stole their souls to save himself. And then Mora… impaled him. Killed him. And I absorbed his soul." Meren clenched his jaw. "Mora congratulated me. He told me that… that he could give me whatever I wanted, be it spells or knowledge. I told him I wanted to go back to Solstheim."

"And?"

"He let me go." Meren stared down at the table. "I hate it. Nothing I've done has been of my own volition. This… save the world quest, dealing with vampirism, I've initiated none of that"

"You order me around pretty well." Teldryn said.

"I don't like being manipulated by everyone."

"If you want, we can try saving the world in Skyrim next. Hopefully it won't be such a crapshoot." The Dunmer offered.

"Good idea. But I've got things to do here." Meren told him.

"Fair enough." Teldryn said.


End file.
